Inky the octopus makes great escape from aquarium

Friday, April 15, 2016, 10:48 AM - One minute Inky was there, the next he was gone.

Squeezing his way through a small gap at the top of his tank, the curious octopus slithered about 2 metres across the floor of the National Aquarium of New Zealand and down a 50-metre seawater runoff pipe to the Pacific Ocean.

"Octopus are very intelligent, very inquisitive and like to push the boundaries," Rob Yarrell, manager of the aquarium told CNN. "This particular one was very friendly and intelligent and obviously found a weak spot in the top of his tank."

NOW ON YOUTUBE: Subscribe to The Weather Network's YouTube channel for access to the best weather-related videos in Canada VIEW THE CHANNEL | VIEWER VIDEOS | POPULAR NOW | SUBSCRIBE

All that was left behind was Inky's slimy trail. This happened three months ago and the octopus hasn't been seen since. So, why is Inky making headlines now?

Although staff at the National Aquarium of New Zealand missed the octopus and applauded his intelligence, they didn't think to publicize the story until Robyn McLean, communications manager for the Napier City Council found out about the escape earlier this week.

Once word got out about Inky, the octopus went viral.

The animal was caught by a local fisherman off the coast of Napier and brought to the aquarium. Staff believe Inky had been attacked most likely by a snapper or some other fish as a couple of his tentacles were shorter than the typical length.

Inky bounced back and after a year of recovery at the aquarium, he started getting along well with the staff.

"While he was with us, he would have learned a lot," Yarrell told CNN. "He was the type that was inquisitive, and a bit wiser than we thought."

SOURCE: CNN

Watch more: New octopus species discovered